Family rescues bald eagle during hike

A team of researchers is investigating a mysterious and deadly illness taking the lives of a treasured national icon: the bald eagle. So far, 16 of the majestic birds have died. To learn more, please visit the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah at www.wrcnu.org. NBC’s Miguel Almaguer reports.

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This content comes from Closed Captioning that was broadcast along with this program.

>>>now to a growing mystery tonight in the
american west
. an unknown illness taking the lives of our treasured
national symbol
. in northern
utah
more than a dozen
bald eagles
have died this month alone. a team of researchers from across the country is working to figure out what's behind it fearing the cases could spread. miguel almaguer has the report from bountiful,
utah
.

>> reporter: what began as a family hike through
utah
's rugged back country turned into a rescue. the
bald eagle
, one of our country's most majestic creatures, was spotted in trouble by taylor schulte and his father-in-law
bob carter
.

>>within seconds you could tell it was a
bald eagle
. the distinct features.
white head
, big yellow beak. it was almost immediate. that's a
bald eagle
down. it clearly couldn't fly.

>> reporter: using his go pro camera he recorded the experience.

>>i have never seen a
bald eagle
that close.

>> reporter: they dell ricately rapped the bird with its six-foot wingspan and razor sharp beak.

>>how is it doing?

>>nervous.

>> reporter: keeping the eagle calm t at home until
wild life
experts arrived.

>>then it just became our friend. we took it home and watched football.

>>it was awesome.

>> reporter: the eagle was brought to the
wildlife rehabilitation
center where it joined three other sick
bald eagles
.

>>we don't have all the pieces of the puzzle together yet. this could be the end of it or this could be the
tip of the iceberg
. we don't know.

>> reporter: it is alarming. so far this month, 16
bald eagles
have died from the same illness. blood work from the infected birds discovered in the region have been sent to a lab for testing. those results could be back in days or weeks and could be the first clue into solving the mystery.
bald eagles
are no longer an
endangered species
but are still federally protected.

>>it is a symbol of our country, too. the
bald eagle
is what american stands for. to see one hurt, injured, that's not what you want to see.